Automatic gas cut-off mechanism



Feb. 17, 1925.

F. TET EN AUTOMATIC GAS CUT-OFF MECHANISM Filed Aug. 5 1925 Ill/Ill vflllllllllllllll m k I 61m: c140 Patented Feb. 17, 1925.

TEN OFFICE.

Fm; THEN; or sHA'r'TUcK; OKLAHOMA.

summers Gas GUT-on! Mahatma;

Application filed Au ust a1, 1923. Serial No. 660,367.

Toall whom it concern:

Be it known that I, FREDTETEN, a citizen of the United States, 'resiclin at Shattuck, in the county of Ellis andtate f Oklahoma',=',liave invented certain' new and useful-Improvements in Automatic Gas Cut- Off' Mechanisms; and I do hereby declare the following-to be a full; clear, and exact descriptioi'r of the same; reference being had to the? accompanyingi drawings, forming a part? 0t this specification.

This invention relates to automatic extinguishers for gas burners and the like,

andrela tes particularly to an apparatus for 1 automatically cutting; off thesupply of gasto the burner-or other point ofconsumption. Generally stated, the invention comprises a valvemechanism-having means for auto matic'ally closing: the-valve in the gassup 0 ply pipeor other fittingsaid valve closing mechanism incliiding pressure responsive means for initiating the closing movement ofthe'valve and springicontrolled means for augmenting" or completing sald closing moven'ie'ntas well as' assisting in the opening of the valve, this latter movement being initiated-m anually:

Aside froni the object of providing a valve operating Inech'anismthat' will insure an effectlve opening-and ClOSlIlg" of the valve;

the present invention also contemplates an arrangement of said valve operating mechanism that permits of a casing construction which is not apt to be broken or fractured duetothefact that the casing of the presen't invention may be formed without any" sharp 'angles' or elf-set portions:

'lVith-these and other objects in view the" thepresent invention.-

Fig; 2 isa sectional view onthe' line 22' of Fig."- 1.

havinga'a valve opening and seatll therein between the; inlet andoutlet openings is illustrated in the pre'sent instance? it Mounted" Figure 1 is a central, vertical section of an automatic cut-off mechanism embodying Thile any desired type of gas sup'ply con nection may beused, a standard check lO P ir-1 upon said check by a suitable threaded connection 12 is the' lower half portion of a casing 13 which forms a gas chamber as well as a housing for the valve operating mechanism. 7

'l l'ie' val ve l-l' which, otcoiirse, is movable toiv'ards" and'away fronr its-seat 11, has an extension l'5'there'oi1' which is guided in an annular recess 0r passage 16' in the connection 12 and thevalvestem 17 is attached to said valve by a universal connection 18, the stem extending" through the connection 12 into'tli casing 13. Suitahle passages 14 arefo'rm'ed in the valve l'and similar passages 15 are'form'ed in the'ext'ensi'on 15 to allow" gas-to-pass into the casing 13.

The u'pp'erhalf of casing 13 is secured in place by ordinary fastening elements extending throughflanges on the two half sectionsofthe casing' 'andse'cnred between said flanges by the fastening elements is a flex-' ible diaphragm 19' havinga central aperture therein throughf which a plunger 01' diaphragm stem 20 extends. The plunger 20 is attached to the dia hragm by a washer 21 and nuts 22'all of whichg'otdmake a gas tight joint, and the upper end of said plunger isguided'in a" nipple 23 secured in thecasing 13. I nterposed between the inner face of nipple23 and'the top face'of the diaphragm isa coiled spring 24: surroundingthe plunger 20and to permit the pressure exerted by saidspii'ng orithe" diaphragm to he regulateththenipple23 isscrew threaded in the top of the'casing".

SO'long asfthe'gas'is' being supplied to the point of consumption at the proper pressure and so'long'asthis pressure is maintained" i'n'the chalnhe'r'in casing 13, the diap-hragin'will he maintained in its uppermost position" as shown, with valve 14 open but should the pressure" in said chamber he reduced in any way below a' predetermined point the diaphragin will-Ybe free to move downward under the presstire"exerted there on b3*thesprin 24 with" the result that lunger 20' will engage the upper end of valvestetn 1 17 and'movethe" va'lvel l towards its 'seaft 11.

To au-g r'fient and? insiire' a complete and elief'ctive"closing of the valve; however, a or" opp-newly disposed levers 25, 25 a'r pivoted" at opposite" sides of the valve stem 011 stiitalile sneezin 26 m casing 13 tending ones are connected by a similar spring 30.

When the valve stem is depressed by plunger 20, as before described, the pivotal connection between the valve stem 17 and levers 25, 25 will be moved below the pivotal centers of said levers and as soon as this occurs the spring 29 will tend to pull the outer ends of the levers upward and towards each other. This will, as is apparent, move the inner ends of the levers and the attached valve stem downward and close valve 14.

F or opening the valve, a resetting stem or plunger 31 is slidably secured in a stuffing box 32 in the bottom of the check 10. Normally, a spring 33 on the stem 31 holds said stem or plunger down in a position where the valve can be closed as before described but by manually pushing said stem 31 up, the valve will be raised off of its seat. This upward movement of the valve and the valve stem is continued until the' pivotal connections between said stem and the levers 25, 25 pass the pivotal centers of said levers, after which the spring 30 connecting the downwardly extending arms on said levers will move the inner ends of the levers and the valve stem up to open the valve fully. This arrangement for initiating the resetting movement of the valve can, of course, be modified without afiecting the means for completing such movement.

This form of valve opening and closing mechanism insures the valve being closed tight to prevent the flow or escape of gas when the gas should be cut off and insures the valve being opened fully so as not to interfere with the flow of gas when it is desired to have the gas supplied to the point of consumption. Moreover, this form I of opening and closing mechanism wherein the in said passage to engage said stem for;

closing the valve,'and means for resetting said-plunger and opening the valve, said valve, valve stem, plunger and resetting means being alined with one another.

2. In an apparatus such as described, the combination with a gas supply connection having a passage and valve stem, a valve mounted on said stem seat therein, of a valve, means operable upon a reduction of pressurein said passage for initiating a movement of the valve towards the seat, said means comprising. a plunger adapted to directly engage the valve stem, and separate resilient means for augmenting such movement of the valve.

3. In an apparatus such as described, the combination with a gas supply connection having a passage and valve seat therein, of a valve and connected valve stem movable towards and away from said seat, means comprising a plunger disconnected from but engageable with said stem for initiating a movement of the valve towards the seat, and means connected with the stem for augmenting said movement of the valve.

4. In an apparatus such as described, the combination with the valve seat, valve and valve stem. of means for initiating a movement of the valve towards said seat, said means comprising a plunger adapted to directly engage the valve stem, and means for completing such closing movement of the valve comprising levers pivoted on opposite sides of the valve stem and pivotally connected to said stem andv means for moving the stem and attached lever ends towards said seat after said parts have been moved towards the seat and past the pivotal centers of the levers.

In an apparatus such as described, the combination with the valve seat, valve and valve stem, of means for initiating a. movement of the valve towards said seat and means for completing such closing movement of the valve comprising levers fixedly pivoted intermediate their ends at opposite sides of the valve stem and pivotally connected to said stem and means for moving the stem and attached lever ends towards said seat after said parts have been moved towards the seat and past the pivotal centers of the levers, and means for opening said'valve comprising means for initiating a movement of the valve away from the seat and means for moving said stem and attached lever ends away from the seat after said parts have been moved away from the seat and past the pivotal centers of the levers.

6. In an apparatus such as described, the combination with the valve seat, valve, valve stem and casing for said parts, of a plunger located above said stem and movable into contact therewith to move the valve towards the valve seat when the pressure in the casing drops below a predetermined point, a-

plunger below the valve for opening the lat tel, oppositely extending levers fixedly pivand opening movements of the valve will be oted intermediate their ends at opposite augmented by the springs after the connecsides of the valve stem and having their adtions between the levers and stem have 10 jacent ends pivotally attached to said stem, passed above or below the pivotal centers of extensions at the remote ends of said levers, the levers.

and springs connecting the extensions at opposite ends of said levers whereby closing FRED TETEN. 

